Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1887-12-23

effort to see the brightest sides of all OBJ
jects. If we would learn the speed of
racing man we must judge of him not while
he is sitting down, or standing still, but
while he is running. Thus the power of an
age to be cheerful must be judged from its
conduct upon those days which are devoted
to festivity. If the times of public rejoicing
can bring but little gladness the other days
OF the year must be reckoned us full OF
hardship.
Could we compare together the December
of the first century, the December of the
Puritans and the December of 1887, those
three pictures would contain almost the
whole history of those differ ng dates They
would be photographs OF three differing
faces-faces containing some points of re-
seniblance but also many unlike features.
Tho modern face would be brightest, the
satdest one would be that one nearest to
the tomb or cradle of Jesus Christ
Christmas proper is never day. 1t is
really week or about a month. When tho
almanac says December has come then all
hearts begin to feel the presence OF that
midwinter festival. Each day adds to the
power of this fo ,ling. The work of sisters,
mo;hers wives has some bearing upon the
twenty fifth, and while that dry is still far
of by the estimate of the sun it is wonder
the trees md verdure along river are
blessed by the rivers moisture II only in
the form ofa damp air and heavier dew,
80 the days long before Christmas are
touched with its spirlt-the dew of Its love.
The Romans perceived that one day did
not contain all the import Of the midsum-
nor gayety. They therefore made no ef-
fort to crowd their season into single sun.
Their SdtHrnd'id continued seven days. 1t
began as n one-day celebration and was
observed December 10th, but us it was
soon found that that brief period was a
cup too small to contain the wine of pleas
ure, 1t was extended TO three days; at last
it was enlarged by the Emperor Claudian SO
MS TO take in the 26th. In form, the festi-
val has now been changed back into the
ono-day shape, but in reality Christmas is
much larger under our Presidents than it
wasunder Claudian and Caligull
1t is great mid-winter period, and may
well be looked upon rs type OF the public
happiness or the public misfortuues of n
given date, In the early Christian church
1t became a single day, because being asked
20 stand for the birth of Jesus 1t had to be
n formal day rather than week, but no
such limitation could keep it from having
adjacent times which partook of its spirit
as dawn partakes of day.
The earliest Christmas was the saddest
the latest is the most joyful The heart
sinks when 1t recalls the fact that our pine
trees which bend with presents for old and
young, that our reunions of relatives, our
parties, amusements and cessation of labor
came from foundations that were laid in
tears While the early Christians were at
tempting to celebrate their favorite day,
the Roman authorities were watching
thom and arresting them as being enemies
of The regular SdtnTldiiI and fr ends of q
new religion That feast which Is now cell
ebrated in every parlor and dinlng-room
and which cheers up all the streets of every
city and village was once observed in the
caves in the hills or in the catacombs
under the streets of Rome. Rome, like
Paris, was built upon solid rock. The ex-
cavations made by stone quarries ran here
and there underground like the out-reach-
ing drifts of mine Into these cayerns
not only the dead were carried, but within
also the living ran to hide or live unknown,
when the times were dangerous up in the
sunshine. In one of these subterranean
rooms some Christians celebrated Christ
mas in the first century after the apostles.
While the most splendid city of all times
was making the sun look down upon q
scene of festivity in which even slaves took
full part, group of Christians was in cav
ern far down below the laughter of children
and the wheels of chariotS and was there
laying the foundations for our beautiful
east of December
The most venerable person present was
certain Alexander He had been con-
demned as disturber of the peace,
and when that immunity from arrest
which the Saturnalia brought had passed
by, he was liable to be found by
the police and to pay with his blood
| the price of his crime. The words
which have come to us from him are few